THE QWBL APPROACH

• Is based on New Ways' Quality Work-Based Learning Framework that outlines the elements necessary to build experiences for young people that most effectively promote the attainment of knowledge and skills in academic, workplace and personal arenas.
• Uses a five-stage development model, which provides a road map and guide, in its work with organizations and communities to visualize and identify its stage of development in the system-building and systems improvement process.
• Employs strategies that engage leadership, practitioners and other stakeholders in developing and implementing quality work-based learning.
• Helps clarify the issues, identify best practices from around the country and provide support to local practitioners to design solutions and approaches, apply strategies and implement the appropriate initiatives to address them.
• Provides targeted technical assistance and training to schools, agencies, employer and labor partners and community collaboratives.

QWBL IMPACTS

• New Ways creates state-of-the-art tools and materials. New Ways was the lead partner in the development of The Work-Based Learning Toolkit. This collection has been distributed to thousands of practitioners, STC partnerships, and educators as well as the employer and labor partners in their work. Hundreds of practitioners have downloaded QWBL tools from the New Ways to Work website.
• New Ways helps communities impact practice. The Kansas City Quality Work-Based Learning Initiative, a collaborative effort between New Ways and six community-based organizations developed standards of practice to increase the capacity of organizations to deliver and support quality work-based learning experiences for youth. New Ways worked closely with the staff of the youth organizations to develop a set of tools to implement quality work-based practices, and to define the top 10 skills Kansas City employers say, "You need to know to begin work!"
• New Ways helps schools increase quality practice. New Century Connections, the Kansas City, Kansas School-to-Work partnership has launched a year long initiative to implement Quality Work-Based Learning in the area's schools. Working closely with the Chamber of Commerce, New Ways conducted an Institute for 80 teachers and administrators from schools and smaller learning communities seeking to strengthen work-based learning practices. A Quality Work-Based Learning Toolkit specifically designed for KCK Small Learning Communities will be unveiled June 2003.
• New Ways helps practitioners refine programs and skills. Two months after a recent Northern California training, 94% of the participants indicated that they were motivated to introduce or expand quality work-based learning and 70% said that they were motivated to change their relationships between their agency/school and employers as a result of the training.

TOOLS, MATERIALS AND TRAININGS

Through all of these projects, New Ways has developed a wide array of tools and support materials to assist communities and organizations in building local systems that support quality work-based learning for youth.

• Kansas City, Kansas Quality Work-Based Learning Toolkit
• Promoting Quality Work-Based Learning: graphic tool and assessment
• Growing Quality Work-Based Learning: graphic tool and assessment
• Students: Top Ten Skills What You Must Know To Begin Work
• The Safe and Legal Work-Based Learning Toolkit
• Get Connected to School-to-Career - Quick Guides for Employers, Associations, Labor Organizations, and Engagement Specialists.

• Quality Work-Based Learning Institute
• Focus on the Workplace Series
• Engaging Workplace Partners
• Creating Safe and Legal, Quality Work-Based Learning
• Building a Third-Party Broker
• Creating Local Intermediaries